Winter Snow and Summer Berries
by From-Angels-Wings
Summary: An innocent date between best friends is just that, isn't it? One date doesn't mean it has to turn into something more, right? Rated T just in case.
1. How It Begins

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, I would be writing canon, not fanfic.**

**Warning: By reading this story, you are taking the chance that it won't turn out how you expect or want. It is my story, I will write what I want.**

Rukia looked in the mirror for about the thousandth time, pushing her pesky bangs out of her face once more, which promptly returned to their previous position in between her eyes. They never did cooperate, especially when it was most important to her. Like tonight.

Sighing, she adjusted her clothing once more, considering changing her outfit yet again. Glancing at the clock, she decided against it, her date should be here soon. This prompted another self-check in the mirror, this time starting with a quick analysis on the state of her make-up.

This was so not her thing.

As she continued to obsess over her appearance, her thoughts began to stray. What had made her agree to this, anyway? She should have said no; in fact, she was sure that when the word "yes" slipped from her lips, it must have been due to a moment of temporary insanity. That was the only feasible explanation, after all. She wasn't the type to date; it just wasn't her scene.

Yet, here she was, primping.

And the worst part? If tonight went well, she had two weeks to find a dress, shoes, and some way to mental prepare herself for the winter formal. That was, if she decided to go along with her date's plan.

She still couldn't figure out why she had agreed to this date. Sure, he was a wonderful guy; they had been best friends for years, ever since she had moved to Karakura. But this wasn't the sort of thing best friends just DID.

He had been persuasive though. "One date. If it goes well, then that solves the problem that neither of us has a date to the dance."

Of course, that was the nicely-worded version Rukia liked to pretend had fallen from his mouth, instead of the much ruder request that actually had.

And, of course, he had ignored all her protests. What would Byakuya-san think? And what if they saw someone they knew? Did he want rumors spread about them? And, most importantly, she wasn't planning on going to the dance anyway.

Then again, they both knew that, just like every other year, Orihime would convince her to go at the last minute, likely with tears. It was better than the alternative the buxom blonde always offered: a specially-cooked dinner at her apartment.

Rukia shuddered as a memory of some dish that involved leeks, jalapenos, and jelly beans assaulted her senses.

Just then, the doorbell rang, jolting her out of her pondering and obsessing, as well as causing a storm of butterflies to rise up in her stomach.

She paused, hating that she was nervous. It wasn't like she LIKED him. Not like that, anyway. Things just weren't like that between them.

Chalking it up to a lack of experience, she walked downstairs to the foyer, where her date uneasily stood next to her older brother.

It was all she could do not to gasp. His bright shock of hair still stood on end, but he otherwise looked very put-together. He had obviously spent more than five minutes getting ready tonight, even if his outfit was trying to scream otherwise. Instead of his usual oversized t-shirt, hoodie, and old jeans, he sported a plain, black v-neck slim-fit t-shirt and dark jeans that actually appeared to be the right size. He had even traded in the hoodie for a much nicer-looking leather jacket.

To say Rukia was astounded would be an understatement. He actually looked...handsome. Not that she would ever admit this to his face. She felt a quick flash of relief that she had perfected Byakuya's patented ability to thoroughly hide any emotions she wanted.

Rukia strode up to Ichigo, turning to bow to her older brother, dragging Ichigo down with her.

"You will have her back by eleven. Take care of her."

Byakuya's ominous tone was all the warning he needed. Ichigo knew better than to even think of crossing his best friend's very protective guardian. That was an action that, in most countries, would be considered a form of suicide.

Ichigo had earned Byakuya's trust surprisingly quickly. Rukia attributed it to the fact that the strawberry had saved her from a group of bullies when she first arrived, an event that, though she hated to remember, had sparked their friendship and somehow caused the school to accept her. She never would understand why her disagreeable best friend was so popular.

As Byakuya turned to retreat to his office, dismissing them, the carrot-top drew a hand out from behind his back, thrusting a box at the much smaller girl.

"Here."

Rukia took the offered box, which turned out to hold a surprisingly beautiful wrist corsage that matched her violet eyes nearly perfectly.

Again, she was stunned. "Th-thank you, Ichigo."

He opened the door. " Yea, well, you're welcome. Now let's go."

"Well now, aren't you just such a gentleman tonight," Rukia teased.

Her words hit their mark, signified by her date's face's insistence on resembling a very ripe tomato.

"Shut up."

He all but shoved her out the door. Sullenly, he set off in the direction of the first stop on his surprisingly well-planned date.

**A/N: I know, kinda boring so far. It takes time to set up a good story. So sue me. Anyway, reviews please? And feel free to request anything you might want to see. I'm always open to inspiration, but I'm not guaranteeing that I'll take any ideas you give me.**

**~Ash**


	2. How It Happens, Part One

Silently, Rukia and Ichigo strode along the street, Rukia having to take nearly two steps to the taller man's one.

It didn't help that, being uncomfortable, Ichigo was walking even faster than normal.

Some days Rukia really hated being so much shorter than her best friend.

The silence wasn't awkward; it never was with them. And sometimes, like now, Rukia was even grateful for it. She took the opportunity to use the concentration that normally would have been reserved for conversation to instead continue her earlier musings about her night.

She started with wondering why Ichigo had even proposed this ridiculous plan. All their friends insisted they liked each other secretly, but Rukia knew this was preposterous. Ichigo was her friend, nothing more. And there was no reason that an idiot like him, especially an idiot who was somehow popular enough to have nearly any girl in the school, would be attracted to someone of such superior wit and intelligence.

It just didn't make any sense. Not that Ichigo's motives ever made much sense to the average human. Which was just one of many reasons they were friends.

Abruptly, Ichigo halted, Rukia skip-run-walking a few extra steps before her brain registered the sudden stop. She had been so lost in thought, her feet were functioning almost entirely on autopilot. In retrospect, she realized she had probably slightly resembled a puppy following its owner.

Sometimes she really did hate that height difference.

Rukia suddenly noticed that she hadn't been paying any attention to where they were going. Looking around, that lightbulb in her brain blinked on: Ichigo had brought her to her favourite tea-shop.

"We're here, space cadet," Ichigo scowled.

Normally, Rukia would have hit him. Or drop-kicked him. Or inflicted pain in a myriad of other incredibly fun ways. But right now, she was too astonished that not only had the strawberry remembered how much she loved the place, but had actually thought about what she might like to do.

Tonight might turn out better than she had expected.

Ichigo yanked open the door. "Are you coming in, or are you just gonna stand there all night? I'm hungry."

This time, Rukia did hit him. Just slightly softer than usual.

The pair slipped into the heated store, sliding off their jackets and shoes in the foyer.

"Welcome, welcome!" Proclaimed the blond-haired, slightly crazy-looking manager. "Ahh, are we on a date tonight?" His eyes glitter from between his hat and fan as he eyed Rukia's coursage...and elsewhere. She was a beauty, he couldn't help it.

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Table for two."

"Of course, of course!" The manager, Kisuke Urahara, gestured to a small, pigtailed girl. "Ururu-chan will take you."

The girl bowed deeply. "Please follow me!"

Trailing after the very formal young girl, Ichigo turned to Rukia. "You like this place, right? I know it's not really fancy and all, but I thought you said you liked it here."

Rukia scoffed. "Wow, you bothered to remember something about me for once."

Ichigo's scowl deepened. "I remember plenty, midget."

They arrived at a table, situated in the back corner. A typical date-night table.

Rukia was reconsidering. Maybe tonight _would _turn out just as bad as she expected.

Over dinner, the pair bantered normally. It was like any time they had gone out to eat as friends, although they usually were accompanied by at least a few others. Really, it was almost hard for Rukia to remember that they were on a date, except for the corsage on her wrist and Ichigo's insistence on paying for her food.

Oh, and the hovering, creep manager who kept making comments about how, even though they were in a dark corner, making out was not permitted in the restaurant.

It turned out that said manager had a surprisingly strong nose. None of Ichigo's punches, which were the farthest thing from gentle, managed to do more damage than a nosebleed.

Once Ichigo had paid for their meal, he stood, extending a hand to help Rukia up. He really was being quite a gentleman tonight. "Hurry up. We'll be late."

"Late for what?" Rukia thought they were just going to dinner. Wasn't that a normal date? Of course, with her lack of experience in the matter, she could be wrong...but she'd never admit it.

Ichigo smirked in response. "You'll see."

With that, he marched to the foyer, handing Rukia her coat and retrieving his own. Sliding their shoes back onto their feet, they again headed out into the chilly night air.

**A/N: Aren't they just so lovable? Anyway, not much to say about this chapter. Review, please? And if you have anything you'd like to see, feel free to request it, but I'm not making any guarantees as to if I'll take your suggestions or not.**

**~Ash**


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